Apple reportedly pays big bucks to buy, shut down iCloud.net

Apple doesn't want any talk of clouds redirecting you to non-Apple products.

In its quest to dominate the iCloud game, the company recently bought out an Asian social network which had registered the iCloud.net domain.

AppleInsider was told the Cupertino, California-based company paid $1.5 million for the domain, but CNET was unable to verify the claim. It wouldn't be unlike Apple to shell the money out, with the company rumoured to have spent $4.5 million on a similar deal in 2011.

Apple was contacted for comment, but did not immediately respond.

The original site was registered back in 2009, according to online records dug out by TechCrunch. The most recent "update" to the domain occurred on Tuesday -- possibly when Apple officially claimed ownership. According to the site's homepage, the service will be terminated by the end of February, and all data deleted by March 1.

To date, the company owns more than 170 iCloud-related domains, according to AppleInsider.